Destination Detonation Fort Scott teacher attends explosives summer camp

Fort Scott High School teacher Linda Houston stands in front of a mine located on the campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology. The mine is used in the university's mining engineering program and for its summer explosive camps. Houston recently returned from spending a week at the facility. --submitted photos

Houston recently returned from a Summer Explosives Camp conducted at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo.

The explosives camp was created to give high school juniors and seniors, who are at least 16 years old, a hands-on learning experience with explosives, according to the university's Web site, http://mining.est.edu.

"The first and only camp of its kind," the Web site said. "The course will comprise a variety of lectures, demonstrations, handling and shooting of explosives, field trips, projects and culminate in the setup and shooting of a fireworks display."

In addition, the camp taught the students about detonators, high explosives, blasting agents, rock blasting, display fireworks and demolition. The students received a behind-the-scenes look at how explosives are used in the industry and in entertainment.

Although Houston was invited to the camp to help supervise the students, she said she was given the opportunity to learn right along with the students.

"I got to sit in on all of the talks, and lessons," she said. "It was amazing that I got to tag along."

Houston said during the camp, she and the students learned about mine safety and how to use detonation devices inside a mine.

Although there was a mine located on the campus to help students learn the mining skills, Houston said they were also taken on a field trip to an actual mine that had 35 miles of roads about 1,000 feet underground in order to learn about underground blasting operations. At the mine, the students were allowed to pick up samples to take home with them.

"It was massive," Houston said. "I was able to bring samples home with me. They let the kids haul anything out of the mine they could carry. I got a lot of galena samples and crystal samples."

In addition to introducing the students to the mining industry, Houston said the camp also helped provide beneficial information for anyone going into construction, demolition or pyrotechnics work.

During the camp, the students visited a quarry in order to view surface blasting techniques, and they visited Premier Pyrotechnics in order to learn more about pyrotechnics.

At the end of the camp, the students worked together to set up their own pyrotechnics show. Not only did the students wire the pyrotechnics show, but they designed and choreographed the entire display, Houston said.

The camp helps students undergo a hands-on learning experience in a safe environment, according to Houston.

"It is the most hands on camp for high school students that I have ever seen," she said. "There is a lot of supervision. They stress safety when dealing with explosives, and how to use explosives safely. It is a lot safer than turning kids loose with fireworks on the Fourth of July -- much safer."

Houston said during the camp she and the students set off more than 100 high explosives, and 34 of them were set off in one day.

"We blew up a lot of stuff," she said.

One of the University's grad students took time to visit with the high school students about the research he is currently working on at the school, according to Houston.

"One of the grad students is working with the government," she said. "He is working on armor plating that could be used for the military to put on vehicles to help them become resistant to IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices). He is developing things that have never existed."

Houston added the grad student explained to the high schoolers how important his research is. In addition, he showed the students how simple it is to create an IED and how devastating one is to our military men and women when it blows up.

"It had a profound effect on some of the kids," Houston said. "This isn't just about blowing stuff up. It's about how can we prevent and keep our guys safe from this stuff."

Next spring, when Houston is teaching her freshmen physical science class, she said the explosives camp will help her be a more effective teacher.

"The spring semester of freshmen physical science is all about learning the chemistry chart," she said. "It is the precursor to chemistry."

Houston said in the class her students learn the periodic chart, the descriptions of the elements on the chart and how they can create chemical reactions by using the elements.

"Explosives are simply a chemical reaction where we can actually take those simple chemical equations in the book and relate them to real life."

Houston said if she can relate her lessons to the experience she had at the explosives camp, she is sure her students will be more interested in the information and, hopefully, learn better.

"Thinking about pyrotechnics and fireworks and a big boom is a lot more entertaining way to try to understand chemical reactions," she said. "When they can relate this (chemical reaction) to what they did on the Fourth of July or outside the classroom, it has more of an educational impact. They retain the information better."

Houston said the CBS television network is slated to air a show featuring the explosives camp on July 3.